{"id":10653,"date":"2022-03-22T12:36:17","date_gmt":"2022-03-22T16:36:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653///academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//149.4.100.129/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//academics/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//bio/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//?page_id=10653"},"modified":"2023-07-26T18:08:09","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T22:08:09","slug":"cathy-savage-dunn","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653///academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//www.qc.cuny.edu/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//academics/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//bio/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//cathy-savage-dunn/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Cathy Savage-Dunn"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0)” custom_padding=”16px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_4,3_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653///academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//www.qc.cuny.edu/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//academics/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//bio/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//wp-content/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//uploads/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//sites/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//117/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//2022/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//03/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//CathySavageDunn-e1396415030291.jpg” alt=”Cathy Savage-Dunn” title_text=”Cathy Savage-Dunn” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” border_width_all=”1px” border_color_all=”#000000″ global_colors_info=”{}”][/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//et_pb_image][/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][dsm_text_divider header=”Dr. Cathy Savage-Dunn” text_alignment=”left” color=”#E71939″ divider_position=”flex-end” divider_weight=”5px” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”Open Sans|600|||||||” header_text_color=”#000000″ header_font_size=”30px” global_colors_info=”{}”][/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//dsm_text_divider][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ text_font=”Open Sans||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” header_4_font=”Open Sans|600|||on||||” hover_enabled=”0″ text_orientation_tablet=”center” text_orientation_phone=”” text_orientation_last_edited=”on|desktop” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/n

Professor
Ph.D., Columbia University
Office: NSB D-330 /academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/u2013 Tel: (718) 997-3440
Laboratory: NSB D-349 /academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/u2013 Tel: (718) 997-3403
E-mail: Cathy.SavageDunn@qc.cuny.edu/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/n

[/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//et_pb_text][/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//et_pb_column][/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”Open Sans||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” header_4_font=”Open Sans|600|||on||||” text_orientation_tablet=”left” text_orientation_phone=”” text_orientation_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”]/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/n

Lab News | Research | People | Publications/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/n

Follow us on Twitter @CSwormlab or Instagram @CSwormlab/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/n

Mission Statement: To make meaningful contributions to the understanding of cell signaling while developing and imparting critical thinking and problem solving skills./academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/n

[/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//et_pb_text][et_pb_text module_id=”research” _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”Open Sans||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” header_4_font=”Open Sans|600|||on||||” text_orientation_tablet=”left” text_orientation_phone=”” text_orientation_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”]/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/"DBL-1/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/n

Research:/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/n

Cell-cell signaling is critical to the development and health of multicellular organisms. When cells fail to respond properly to external signals, cells can die prematurely or proliferate inappropriately, leading to diseases such as cancer./academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/n

We are interested in understanding how cell signaling regulates animal development. We focus on the TGF/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/u03b2 family of cell signals: a large and evolutionarily conserved class of secreted growth factors. We study TGF/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/u03b2-related cell signaling using the model organism/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/u00a0C. elegans. The nematode (roundworm)/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/u00a0C. elegans/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/u00a0is an attractive model for the study of cell signaling because of its well-characterized development and cell lineage, as well as the power to apply genetic and molecular biological tools to study signaling pathways in this organism./academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/n

Two TGF/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/u03b2-related signaling pathways have been characterized in/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/u00a0C. elegans, the DBL-1 pathway and the DAF-7 pathway. We focus primarily on the DBL-1 pathway, which regulates multiple aspects of development and homeostasis, including body size, reproductive aging, innate immunity, olfactory learning, male sensory organ development, and mesodermal patterning/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/u00a0(Savage et al., 1996; Gumienny and Savage-Dunn 2013 and references therein). The components of this pathway and how they interact are highly conserved among species, so that the mechanisms we identify are relevant to the function of TGF/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/u03b2 pathways in vertebrates, including humans. Significantly, the vertebrate homologs of DBL-1 pathway components play a role in the development of cancer, skeletal abnormalities, immune responses, and fat tissue development./academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/n

Body size control. Body size mutants in the DBL-1 pathway have reduced body size (small phenotype). Although body, organ, and cell sizes are all precisely regulated during animal development, the mechanisms for this control are only beginning to be understood. We have addressed the mechanism of reduced body size in/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/u00a0C. elegans/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/u00a0DBL-1 pathway mutants. These mutants have a defect in postembryonic but not embryonic growth. Furthermore, the defect in body size is not due to a reduction in cell number, but to reduced cell size. Finally, we have shown that the signaling components function in the epidermis (known in C. elegans as hypodermis) to regulate body size (Wang et al., 2002). The epidermis is composed primarily of a single large multinucleated epithelial cell that surrounds the animal and secretes the cuticle. We find that the DBL-1 pathway regulates body size by altering the expression of collagens that are incorporated into the cuticle (Liang et al., 2007; unpublished data)./academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/n

Fat storage. A recent direction in our lab is the investigation of a new role for the DBL-1 pathway in fat storage. Mutants in the pathway have changes in the expression of enzymes required for fat synthesis and storage (Liang et al., 2007). We have used staining techniques to show that these mutants also store significantly less fat than wild type under normal growth conditions. We seek to identify the molecular pathways underlying this defect./academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/n

 
/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/n[/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//et_pb_text][/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//et_pb_column][/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653///academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//www.qc.cuny.edu/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//academics/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//bio/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//wp-content/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//uploads/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//sites/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//117/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//2022/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//03/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//Lab-2015-768×576-1.jpg” alt=”Group Photo.” title_text=”Group Photo.” show_in_lightbox=”on” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” border_width_all=”1px” border_color_all=”#000000″ global_colors_info=”{}”][/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//et_pb_image][/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text module_id=”research” _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”Open Sans||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” header_4_font=”Open Sans|600|||on||||” text_orientation_tablet=”left” text_orientation_phone=”” text_orientation_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”]Genetic Screen for Body Size Mutants./academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/u00a0To identify other candidate TGF/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/u03b2 signal transducers, we conducted a genetic screen for small mutant animals (Savage-Dunn et al., 2003). In this screen, we identified several new genes that are candidate TGF/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/u03b2 signaling components. We have cloned the sma-9 locus (Liang et al., 2003), and found that it encodes the/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/u00a0C. elegans/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/u00a0homolog of/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/u00a0 Schnurri, a large zinc finger transcription factor that mediates TGF/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/u03b2 signaling outcomes in Drosophila (fruit fly). SMA-9 is nuclearly localized and may act in concert with the Smads to effect changes in gene transcription in response to dbl-1 signaling. We have found that sma-9 is alternatively spliced, potentially resulting in a variety of protein isoforms with different functions and subcellular localization. We have shown that SMA-9 acts primarily as a transcriptional repressor for body size regulation, but has both transcriptional activator and repressor activities contributing to male tail patterning (Liang et al., 2007)./academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/n

Another gene identified in the genetic screen was/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/u00a0ADT-2, which encodes a secreted protease of the ADAMTS family. We showed that ADT-2 is necessary for normal cuticle collagen organization and for normal levels of DBL-1 pathway activation (Fernando et al., 2011).
/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/n[/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//et_pb_text][/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//et_pb_column][/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][dsm_text_divider header=”People” text_alignment=”left” color=”#E71939″ divider_position=”flex-end” divider_weight=”5px” module_id=”people” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”Open Sans|600|||||||” header_text_color=”#000000″ header_font_size=”30px” global_colors_info=”{}”][/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//dsm_text_divider][/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//et_pb_column][/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_blurb title=”PhD students:” image=”https:/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653///academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//www.qc.cuny.edu/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//academics/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//bio/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//wp-content/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//uploads/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//sites/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//117/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//2022/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//03/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653//E3IvWu5WQAIzpMy-150×150-1.jpg” alt=”A person sitting.” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”Open Sans|600|||||||” body_font=”Open Sans||||||||” body_text_color=”#000000″ body_font_size=”16px” border_width_all_image=”1px” global_colors_info=”{}”]/academics/bio/wp-json/wp/v2/pages/10653/n